Rodrigo Duterte won the Philippine Presidential election. Among other bombastic claims, he says he will kill 100,000 gangsters, put drug users to death, and vows to shutdown Congress if it disagrees with him. As mayor of Davao City for some 22 years, Duterte “appointed himself judge, jury and executioner—and the people of Davao loved him for it.” (Time) Duterte echoes the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and is frequently compared to the US Presidential Republican nominee, Donald Trump.

His rise to power comes at a delicate time for the region, as China’s high-handed maritime claims in the South China Sea remain hotly contested. We discussed the rise of Duterte and the tensions brewing in the South China Sea in last months’ issue of The Socionomist.

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The Socionomist enables you to see trend-shaping waves of social mood, as reflected by the stock market — and capitalize on them The February issue looks at technological forecasts and baby names. Mood Riffs topics include DNA and music. We also reveal the stories we’ll be watching in 2019. Read the February issue instantly when you join the growing ranks of Socionomics Members.